The late eighteenth century, through to the early nineteenth century, I have discovered, was a very different way of life to that we know now. It was the business of the parent's life, to ensure a secure marriage for their daughter's.

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Introduction

Charlotte Wilkinson The late eighteenth century, through to the early nineteenth century, I have discovered, was a very different way of life to that we know now. It was the business of the parent's life, to ensure a secure marriage for their daughter's. A great majority of our ancestor's lives revolved, and were based upon rules and acceptability. People mirrored their lives by perfection and constantly sought approval. They monitored their behaviour in what was considered to be appropriate and continuously worked for the regard and consent of others. Opinions unceasingly mattered to these people and that is why it was of great importance for them to observe and act in accordance to the rules of the time. There were numerous circumstances, by which our ancestors acted upon and followed such things as; ladies were never seen out in public without their bonnets, or men without their hats. It was not the done thing for people to marry below their station and at dances single sex dancing was not allowed while there were single men on their own and without a partner. Also, to dance with someone once was considered to be polite, but if a woman was asked to dance twice by the same partner then there was thought to be some interest there. Women were not allowed to refuse a dance partner more than once, or there would be the conclusion, made by people wondering, that there was something wrong with the person. At this time, men were considered to be the superior sex and the much strongest of the population. Men were the dominant sex and the ones endlessly in control. It was acknowledged and expected that the men were the first to make the move. Men were the dependable ones and were justly frequented by society. Men were extremely influential. Reflecting the superiority of men at this time, was the fact that when a Father/husband died then his whole fortune, property and balance, were inherited by the closest male ...read more.

Middle

If Darcy had have asked her twice, it would have been gratitude if she accepted, but it is slowly changing to love towards Mr Darcy. Darcy and Lizzy do meet in more favourable circumstances, him at home, her away from home and with friends. They both learn a lesson about Pride and Prejudice. During the novel, Darcy wounds Lizzy and vice versa.. Their sexual attraction pushes them to damage each other- each is humbled and shamed. Each inflicts themselves on the other, and then they become ready for each other. She was increasingly becoming better acquainted with Mr Darcy, and she was now certain that he was in love with her. When Miss Bingley puts Lizzy down in front of Mr Darcy, he becomes more and more agitated and says to her '...that was only when I first knew her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.' That silenced Miss Bingley and out her in her place as Darcy finally revealed his true feelings, much to Miss Bingleys's disappointment. 'Mr Darcy, who never looks at any woman, but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at you in his life,' says My Bennett, who is oblivious to his daughter's true feelings. It is in a letter from Lady Catherine De Bourg that he expresses this. Her Father had most cruelly mortified her by what he said of Mr Darcy's indifferences. She is beginning to truly love him. 'Darcy has appeared to be one of the two diverging and converging lines, who have been pushed apart to a climax of hatred, but then leading to mutual understanding an d love.' From first impression to last impression, there is a tremendous turn around in the portrayal of Darcy, from going from a disagreeable man, to a much admired man. Another main and strong character in Pride and Prejudice is Mr Collins. ...read more.

Conclusion

She couldn't even kill him right. Her face is closed; she knows she's lost and that this is the end. 'She turned her dying face to the ground.' She feels that this is it and that she may as well be dead. 'Down, down, down,' meaning that she has reached rock bottom, and that she is now worse off than she was at the beginning. His visage was everything and it had fallen to pieces. Petulant, like a child towards Molly, and he knows that she tried to kill him. Just once she was on top and had a chance to get out of the marriage, but he managed to struggle to safety. There are similarities in Samphire, especially between Lacey and Mr Collins, but Mr Collins is more harmless than Lacey. They both seek and feed off approval and feel the need to retain their positions. Marriage in the 1950's was extremely hard to get out of and Molly had no chance, which was a lot to do with her character. However, charlotte Lucas does not interest in romance and is just content with security. Both Lacey and Collins are weak and disliked, both trying to get respect. Collins tries to compensate his own weakness by boasting and Lacey by showing off. They both seek power and respect to impress. They both also need reassurance constantly and rely on their wives to supply them with it. The language in Pride and Prejudice is different to that in Samphire, but there are still many comparisons. Darcy is a complex character and is harder to evaluate than Collins and Lacey. However his portrayal changed as the novel got on, going from unapproachable and disagreeable, to kind hearted and genuine. The portrayal of men has changed a lot since the time when these two stories were written but did not change an awful lot between these two periods. The men were traditionally the dominant sex. Since 1950, when Samphire was written I think that the portrayal of men has changed for the better. ...read more.

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